On tap at the Royal Oak, Bath 5/10/08. Cloudy mahogany colour with a big, frothy tan head. Aroma of caramel, nuts, dried fruit and dusty hops. Flavour had plenty of sweet malts, brown sugar, liquorice and a faint herbal tang, with a short, bitter finish. Very easy drinking for the ABV - good stuff.

Pours murky brown with a medium-sized tan head. Lots of molasses, yeast, dark fruits, candi sugar, and grapes in the nose. Great taste. Funny how the Scotch ale qualities compliment the Belgian strong ale qualities. Sweet caramel and banana flavors. Fair amount of licorice, toffee, and raisin. The funk comes through in the end with a earthy/wood quality. Good stuff.

12oz bottle into chalice. Pours opaque, cloudy dark brown bordering on plum, with a gigantic, pillowy tan head that eventually settles down to a creamy cap of foam. Nose is brown sugar and ripe dark fruit, some spicy yeast, bit of alcohol. Taste is brown sugar, fresh baked dark bread, and spicy yeast, hints of cocoa and licorice, and dark fruit coming out a bit in the finish. Finish is fairly clean, bready, some yeast, bit of alcohol as well. Mouthfeel is decadently creamy, full but still a bit light, carbonation is superbly subtle - soft and creamy with just a bit of bite at the front of the mouth. Delicious, superbly crafted beer.

750mL bottle served in tumbler- poured very dark brown with ruby red tints, low-medium carbonation of tiny bubbles, pillow like one finger head formed and laced nicely. Aroma of walnuts, powdered sugar, yeast, caramel malt, and funk. Hits the mouth with a high-medium body, malt is tasty, nuts and sweetness in the middle, some wood lingers in the background throughout, finish has a burn of alcohol but is enjoyable. If you don’t like this brew, you really have something wrong with you.

750ml. Attractive mahogany color, hazy with floaties, and sporting a steady one-finger mousse. A spicy, grapey nose is loaded with exotic tropical fruits against a nutty malt background. The sweetish toffee flavor hints at vanilla, Frangelico, toasted almonds, anise and gingerbread spice. Somewhat reminiscent of tawny port. There is a brief fruit candy (PEZ?) character in the finish, as well as noticeable ethanol warming. Restrained pinpoint carbonation lifts an otherwise thick, tactile mouthfeel. Orchard fruit, wood, and charming “farmhouse” mustiness in the aftertaste. A fantastic ale that just begs for a ploughman’s lunch… or a perfect accompaniment to a crisp autumn afternoon.